Musk’s announcement of the deliberate launch of the large rocket comes simply over two months after he outlined his imaginative and prescient for ultimately placing people on Mars and colonizing the planet.

That challenge would require an excellent bigger rocket, although. It is known as the BFR, or Large Falcon Rocket, which inside the corporate is nicknamed the “Large F–king Rocket.”

SpaceX plans to begin constructing the primary of these by the center of subsequent yr, Musk mentioned in late September.

He needs to land at the least two of the spacecraft on Mars in 2022 carrying gear — after which ones transporting individuals in 2024.

Within the meantime, the Falcon Heavy is meant to spice up the quantity of cargo SpaceX can take into house for its prospects. The corporate says will probably be in a position to take into orbit greater than twice the payload — 119,000 kilos — of its closest rival at a 3rd of the associated fee.

SpaceX has shaken up the aerospace trade by dramatically slashing prices and growing rockets that may blast out of the environment after which come again right down to land on a barge floating in the midst of the ocean.

Historically, rockets have been used simply as soon as, and are left to expend within the environment after a mission. However SpaceX has been working for years to alter that.

It has mentioned that reused rockets can be part of the maiden launch of the Falcon Heavy, which is basically three Falcon 9 rockets, the corporate’s present workhorse, strapped collectively.